Chapter 7 - THE SON WHO STOLE MY FATHER'S LIFE
Alexander stared at Charles as though the elderly man had spoken another language.
"My mother married Victor Kane?"
Charles nodded.
"Before Anthony."
Alexander shook his head.
"My mother died when I was five. No one ever mentioned a previous marriage."
"Because the marriage ended in scandal."
I stood beside Mateo, trying to understand what this had to do with my father.
Charles continued.
"Victor and your mother had a son. His name was Adrian."
Alexander looked toward the photograph.
"That boy?"
"Yes."
"What happened to him?"
"He disappeared after Anthony discovered Victor was involved in a major fraud scheme."
Alexander walked toward the window.
"And Daniel?"
Charles hesitated.
"Daniel was Anthony's biological son. But Adrian and Daniel were raised near each other when they were very young. People often remarked on their resemblance."
I frowned.
"Then Adrian could impersonate Daniel."
Charles nodded.
"With enough planning, yes."
Alexander turned sharply.
"Are you saying the man who accessed the bank account wasn't my brother?"
"That's what we need to establish."
Marcus entered with an update.
"The archival bank records include a security photograph."
He placed it on the screen.
A man wearing Daniel's coat stood at the bank counter.
He had dark hair, a familiar jawline, and a scar near his right ear.
Alexander leaned forward.
"That's not Daniel."
"How can you tell?" I asked.
"My brother never had that scar."
Marcus enlarged the image.
The scar was unmistakable.
Charles whispered, "Adrian Kane."
Suddenly, everything seemed to connect.
Someone had lured Daniel and my father to Astoria.
Someone had impersonated Daniel to access the bank records.
And someone had made sure Daniel disappeared before he could defend himself.
"Where is Adrian now?" I asked.
Marcus looked at Alexander.
"We have reason to believe he works with Victoria Lane's father."
The room went silent.
"Edward Lane?" Alexander asked.
"Yes."
Edward Lane was a powerful real estate investor who had helped fund the Ashford Grand's expansion.
He was also Victoria's father.
Alexander looked furious.
"Victoria knew."
Marcus hesitated.
"There's more."
He displayed a recent photograph.
Victoria stood outside a private residence in Connecticut.
Beside her was a dark-haired man.
The same scar appeared near his ear.
Adrian Kane.
But the photograph also showed a third person standing behind them.
An older man with a cane.
Alexander stepped closer to the screen.
His face went completely white.
"Father?"
Charles covered his mouth.
May you like
Anthony Ashford was alive.
And he was standing beside the two people who had tried to destroy our families.
